Video After The Jump
The Insane Clown Posse are taking on the federal government in a case that should be very interesting. The suit against the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation was filed Wednesday (January 8) in the Federal District Court of Detroit by the band's attorneys and for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. The suit claims that the U.S. government had made the “unwarranted and unlawful decision” to classify their fans, known as Juggalos as gang members. At the heart of the suit is a 2011 report by the FBI that says the fans are a "loosely organized hybrid gang."
The inference is that the fans are violent and often break the law.
Juggalos
Four fans have also joined the lawsuit, according to The Guardian.
The four fans said in the complaint that they had been subject to police harrassment or punishment because of their association with the band. Mark Parsons, from Nevada, said he was detained by Tennessee state troopers for displaying an ICP insignia on his truck. Scott Gandy, from North Carolina, said he had spent hundreds of dollars having Juggalo tattoos covered with other tattoos after being told he could not join the army with "gang-related" body art.
Group members Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J want the FBI to retract the gang affiliation label, They believe the FBI report is a violation of their rights and constitutional right to associate with whoever they please.
Shaggy 2 Dope issued the following statement during a press conference.
"It is wrong to designate the entire group of supporters as a criminal gang based on the acts of a few. We're not a gang. We're a family."
You may remember ICP for their long running beef with fellow Michigan rapper Eminem. Slim frequently made fun of the group with his "Ken Kaniff" skits on his albums. The beef has since been squashed.
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